The Dragon Knight and the Steam World

by D. C. Clemens

  A shake of its head. “He could speak. Touch what he wanted. He was real, yet not real.”

  “What happened to him?”

  “I’m not sure. All I know is that the soulless man told Lucian he was someone his grandfather spoke of. Lucian trusted him from there and let me go.”

  “And you had never seen him before?”

  “Not him specifically, but…”

  “Yes? Lormevar?”

  “I can’t be sure. Too many little instances I’ve tried too hard to forget. Lucian’s experience was the most recent, so I kind of remember it, but maybe I’ve seen him before with Lucian’s ancestors. Yet I can’t even describe this soulless man to you… And it sounds unbelievable, no? Someone alive without a soul?”

  “A machine able to cast an illusion on a wall sounds unbelievable as well, and like I said, prana is flexible. Not that I’ll believe any tale I hear, but I can’t outright reject any at this point either.”

  “So a soulless man doesn’t scare you?”

  “I consider myself fortunate to be alive this long. If it takes a soulless man to kill me, so be it.”

  Its wings twitched as its head tilted. “You’re at peace with death?”

  “If I only take myself into consideration, then yes.”

  “Oh. That’s why you accepted corruption. You believe you have nothing to lose… At peace with death… I have never brought such a peace to anyone before.”

  “Maybe in your former life. For now, if it’s all right with you, I’d like us to begin training.”

  “Yes, it is all right.”

  Word of the first arrivals came early in the evening and trickled in over the following day. Unarmed and only allowed a single aide, I let them come up the mountain before the third night’s coldest hours made the journey too uncomfortable for anyone not in a rush.

  Krewen did not have nations the way humans knew them. Their government existed as a complicated collection of ministers in several hundred administrative districts. Various rankings based on experience and performance further divided the groups of war ministers, holy ministers, ministers of coin, ministers of sport, ministers of agriculture, and so forth. It was as if they were one giant flock of birds, except there evidently were several dozen old royal powers that “governed” territories, though their power namely lied in how many casters they bred.

  Despite the apparent ill-defined nature of the flock, a pecking order still existed for those who wished to keep flying in the same direction. Any krewen who paid attention to politics knew who held the most influence in a government meant to be intricately fair. Whether out of concern for Grenhath, curiosity, or respect for my title, many of the invited krewen accepted Reet’s invitation. This included her superior, the ranger chieftain, who I’m sure was none too pleased with Reet going behind her back to arrange the meeting among civilians. Four humans also made the journey.

  The krewen dining table, while naturally round and sizable to fit their culture’s idea of community and compulsory equality, could not accommodate all the guests. Therefore, in the middle of the foggy morning, those capable of manipulating earth rose a great stone table from the ground in front of the home. To not raise any suspicion about my motivations, and having already dispelled the traces of its hex in a handful of krewen and humans, I handed Lormevar back to Isabel. With the now ousted hex not feeling at all potent in anyone, and not wanting to sow distrust among the leaders, I only informed Alex of who to keep a closer eye on.

  When we took our seats, which had also been pushed up from the ground, I said, “Thank you for coming on such short notice. I assume this means you understand the magnitude of the situation we find ourselves in. I hope we can work together to respond to recent belligerence with wisdom, and not rashly fall into a quagmire that will only play into Viscount Rathmore’s hands.”

  “Yes, the viscount,” said a krewen war minister, his grayer, frayed plumage denoting an old age. I must have had his name in my head, but with so many having introduced themselves recently, matching all the beaks and faces to their correct names was going to be challenging. “What do you believe his ultimate goal is in instigating crimes against my kind?”

  “I’m sure he would have been happy to keep the crimes solely against the Vanguard, but being parted from his enchanted sword has forced his hand. The longer the blade is away from him, the less time his influence over those he has hexed will last. He can’t be subtle in trying to get everyone against me and getting his allies to defend him.”

  “How long before this ghastly hex fades from his victims?” asked a man in the railroad business.

  “Hard to say. I’m sure it varies by individual. It may be days or seasons. It may be even longer depending on what his enchanted dagger is capable of.”

  Two krewen began to speak, but the one most heard asked, “Should the sword not be destroyed? What if it falls into the wrong hands again?”

  “Even using it the right way takes a great deal of prana no one here possesses. The entire Rathmore business seems predicated on obtaining the unique vlimphite crystals needed to force the blade into following commands. In any case, the sword can discover and remove its own hexes with much less prana involved. Too useful to destroy now.”

  “I find this discussion about hexes, swords, and a hopeless human rather irrelevant,” said another elder krewen. I believed his red robes designated him as a holy minister of flame. “No matter how we respond to our latest predicament, Grenhath is a lost cause. I’d like to hear more about what it will take to teleport to a different realm. I hear you wish to gather as much vlimphite as we can to send you back to Orda, correct?”

  “Aye.”

  “Why vlimphite at all? Cannot enough weavers provide the prana?”

  “Assuming you have enough casters who know how to transfer their prana into a rune, then yes. And even if you did, vlimphite will make the casting easier, at least until it runs out.”

  “Vlimphite can run out?”

  “Powerful spells tend to dissolve it over time. Of course, if your casters can learn to pour their prana into a rune with any competence, then vlimphite won’t be needed at all. Casters from my realm can also share in the heavy lifting once I can organize the endeavor.”

  “And your world will simply allow it?”

  “There are people I can convince to take a few of you in. However, establishing your own land will likely create a fuss.”

  “They could take Degosal,” said Alex, who sat to my right. “Just needs a few fiends cleared out. They can even do most of the work.”

  “Which will take time, but yes, it’s a possible long-term solution. As for the short-term ones, if any of you agree to provide the means for me and my brother teleport back to Orda, you must do so with discretion. We don’t want the news of a possible way out of this world to incite reckless actions before we’re prepared to handle them. It will be difficult enough choosing who will get to go first. I’ll have to leave some of those judgments up to you.”

  “Wait, hold on,” said the railroad owner. “What about humans? You know, the race you are? Are you only going to give krewen the keys to get out of here?”

  “Of course not. Their lands are currently calmer than the human ones, but anyone who allies with me will get their chance to use the keys to pass through the rune portal.”

  “And what are you going to do about the mess you helped create on the human side of Grenhath?” asked an old woman, who dressed rather lightly despite the nippy air. Gesturing to the three other humans sitting next to her, she continued with, “We’re risking our necks by coming here. Magical interference or not, the big bounty for the heads of the ghoul brothers will make us targets of anyone who wants to find you and sees us as standing in their way. We can only do so much against the increasingly larger mercenary armies the families allied with Lucian are suddenly buying.”

  Arthur Nores, the youngest human among the invited, cleared his throat. I matched name to face this time since I heard
“Nores” before. His uncle owned the lucrative mining business in Vilves. He said, “Bounty hunters and mercenaries are basically attacking anyone they want. They say they’re looking for traitorous Vanguard or you and your brother, but they’re really stealing territory and killing rivals. I’ve even received word that a gang has taken over the Villa by the Wastes and outright attack any workers of mine who come close. Are you planning to stay among the krewen and leave us to brave the storm on our own?”

  “I never planned on doing such a thing,” I answered. “It will take time for… Wait, you have a villa in the White Wastes?”

  “What? No, not the kind you’re thinkin’ of. The ‘Villa’ is a region where we can get weavers to pull ice out from the glaciers so we can melt them later for crops and the like. ‘Villa’ is just a tongue-in-cheek name for people who work there, you know?”

  “And why would a gang want to take over a place where people pull out ice? Is it unique in any way?”

  “Uh, no. I don’t think so. The White Wastes are a big place. A lot of small ice companies work along its edge.”

  “But the gang specifically took over a place called the Villa?”

  “Yes.”

  “Is this important?” asked a krewen minister.

  “Maybe. I heard the viscount sends some crystals of interest to a place called the Villa. I came to believe that meant one of his actual homes, but perhaps not. Master Nores, who worked there before the bandits moved in?”

  “My uncle made a deal to work with the Andrad family to work part of the Villa.”

  “Ah, yes,” said General Valentine. “I remember Lucian’s attendants giving us their name. I doubt a family allied with the viscount would be attacked for something as minor as an ice company.”

  “Likely not an attack at all,” said Reet. “They must be there to protect the crystals the viscount sends.”

  “If not the viscount himself,” I said.

  “Sounds like it’s worth a visit,” said Isabel.

  “Depending on the support available,” said the general. “Lucian would not have sent men to the Villa if he did not expect a fight, or he would have been better served not drawing attention to the area at all.”

  “True,” I said. “If he or something he deems valuable is there, then he’ll have reinforcements arriving every passing day… Hmm, I understand it will take time for the krewen to gather what vlimphite they can. For now, I would like to investigate this Villa place. Master Nores? Do you know he best way to infiltrate and attack the region?”

  “Um, well, I guess by train, but they’ll surely destroy the tracks if they see an unidentified train coming. There are many ambush points to deal with. And that’s assuming my family even had the manpower to forgo defending our territory from opportunists and fight our way to the edge of the Wastes.”

  “I’m not expecting for you to provide all the manpower. I assume we can gain a few krewen to assist me.”

  Several of the krewen spoke to me and amongst themselves in various articulations for a few moments. Then, the war minister who had taken the lead so far, settled them down and said, “Krewen attacking humans, even their outlaws, will draw further ire if discovered. Therefore, we cannot send a force by rail or on foot. However, if we think like dragon knights, we have the only viable solution.”

  I leaned back and glanced above everyone seated. “We come from the air.”

  “Exactly so. Some of us have airships, and the humans do not regularly patrol the tempestuous skies above the White Wastes. If you are adamant about heading to the Villa, then I’m certain we can secure one or two airships in quick order with a simple missive. Regrettably, each aircraft will only have the capacity to carry as many soldiers as a single train car. They are built for reconnaissance, not to supply a substantial number of warriors.”

  “Isn’t this venture risking too much?” asked the holy minister. “If you or your brother should die, we will be unable to take advantage of the rune key. Should your brother at least not stay?”

  “No way am I sitting out a fight,” said Alex. “And I trust you feather heads less than Cyrus.”

  “I suppose that’s something of a compliment. At any rate, you won’t need to stay behind.” To the krewen, I said, “I will give General Valentine the rune key that connects you to the rune in Orda. My companions waiting on the other side will be hesitant to link with prana not my own, but as long as human prana is involved, my scholar should be curious enough to allow someone to cross. Is this acceptable?”

  They found it to be.

  Our verbal back and forth continued for about an hour, though it generally consisted of clarifying questions and details from me and them. For instance, I learned the aerial voyage to the Villa would take at least half a day. It could have been shorter by several hours if we did not have to circumvent the major human patrol routes. Moreover, I got the sense not every krewen minister felt eager to serve up resources and soldiers on my behalf, but I did not need all of them on board at once. It seemed the chance to climb their societal hierarchy did get a few to act proactive rather than wait for a collective agreement. How human of them.

  After a meal, I summoned Aranath to expend corruption and fly down those who summoned the courage to request a ride. By the sound of it, as long as we did not need more than one, obtaining an airship in short order would not take long. Perhaps waiting another day could have us securing another of the singular craft, but I decided not to risk giving Rathmore the time to gather additional hired guns, escape, or complete whatever goal he was undertaking.

  An airship came our way a couple of hours before sunset. It was a little smaller and rounded than the Pleulor airship, though the height of the silver hull below the dark blue balloon looked to be taller. As agreed upon, the krewen soldiers came up to the mountain without their weapons to be checked for the hex. On finding no hint of it, we headed down to where the transport landed, leaving the old general behind with the ministers who chose to stay with Reet’s family to help them keep this little base of mine secure.

  Walking under the elongated bubble to board the hull seemed ill-advised. My instinctual mind had a hard time trusting that the inflated material above my head would remain buoyant and not come crashing down. Since no such thing happened, I entered the bulging underside. As expected from military vessels, the interior was nothing grand. The first level consisted of rows of insignificantly padded seats alongside the windows making up much of the walls. The longer, windowless second level contained the bulk of rooms used for rest and storage.

  Once they untied the cables tethering the airship to the ground, a gradual ascension occurred. Contrasting from every other machine I encountered, this massive transport made relatively little noise. There was still a rumbling rattle somewhere, but nothing too bothersome. To inhibit shivering in the higher reaches of the atmosphere, we draped heavy mantles over our backs and wrapped them as tightly as needed.

  I felt better about the experience as we climbed higher and higher, for the larger the air cushion below me, the longer I had to summon Aranath in the event something went wrong. I would have felt even better if what was left of Major Holon’s squad stayed behind, but short of Eric’s apparition ordering it, no one could dissuade them at taking an opportunity to avenge their commander.

  Forgetting the trepidation that came from being in the mechanical mimicry of flight, it proved pleasant to be able to be stand in the sky without the constant rush of icy wind against my face or the threat of a bug thumping into it. The trouble about not feeling the wind was feeling as though we moved too languidly. I realized even a dragon could not outpace a sunset, but the whistling air ruffling my hair always made it feel conceivable. The airship did not give me that generously false reality. I’m certain Ghevont knew how fast one needed to be to keep up with the daylight.

  As expected, the current sunset did indeed fall well before I wanted it to. The good thing about the deepening night were the fewer blustering gusts that frequente
d the afternoon. Nevertheless, strong draughts shook the whole airship from time to time. Those charting our course often checked the stars and lit landmarks to make the proper adjustments on the groupings of levers they manipulated and round knobs they twisted. Not anything I expected to learn, so I paid little attention to their enterprise.

  The novelty of the ride did not wear off so much as gradually become eclipsed by the cold, confined space. Ironically, those capable of controlling ice used the solid liquid to plug holes in the imperfect seals throughout the hull. Of course, fire casters offered fireballs or warmed objects as a way to thwart brittle skin.

  Saving up my prana for a potential battle meant there was little to do to pass the time. Like a bored dragon, I settled for sleeping, though that was a difficult state to reach with my corruption’s agitation and my teeth chattering every once in a while. Notwithstanding those hurdles, huddling against a rounded corner on the second level, holding a burnt dragon stone in one hand and Lormevar’s hilt in the other eventually allowed my mind to exit the airship.

  “You’re not really sleeping if you’re in my realm,” said Lormevar.

  “Aye, but I’m hoping to transition into it. Do you think it can work that way?”

  “Maybe… Um, before you try, can we talk first?”

  “Of course.”

  The enchantment sat so that its feet dangled right above the smooth water. “I know you have to go after Lucian, but what if all you’re doing is taking me back to him? I mean, not on purpose, but if…”

  “I’m killed.”

  “Yes.”

  “I wish I could leave you behind, but removing your misused spell is too valuable. I know I have still much to improve about my abilities, but I trust them and my training. I hope you can trust me as well.”

  “I want to. It just feels wrong to trust someone who desires to fight.”

  “As long as our goals don’t clash, we don’t have to agree about whether fighting is right or wrong. We’ve been made too different for either of us to believe in the alternative. However, disagreeing doesn’t mean we can’t help each other when the time comes, right?”